Updated 6.03 with a warning by the Building and Construction Industry.
The Civil Protection Department has issued a yellow weather warning for Monday as winds are expected to strengthen to Force 7.
The CPD urged the public to “exercise increased caution, particularly during the morning and daytime hours” on Monday and secure loose and outdoors objects.
The public should “remain alert to changing conditions” and follow instructions issued by authorities, the department said, while reminding the public to call 112 in the event of an emergency.
It said weather conditions were “expected to worsen” between 1am and 4am, with winds strengthening overnight and during the daytime and “rough seas” and rainfall also possible.
The warning comes as northwest and west-northwesterly winds are forecast to reach Force 6 on Sunday while continuing to strengthen into Monday.
Windspeeds are expected to range between 28 and 33 knots on Monday, “with gusts that can reach 40 knots,” the Met Office told Times of Malta on Sunday. Winds are considered gales once they reach 34 knots, equivalent to almost 63 kilometres per hour, or Force 8.
The Met Office attributed the conditions to a depression developing over the Gulf of Genoa on Sunday night, which is expected to move over the Tyrrhenian Sea by morning and continue southeast on Monday, reaching the Ionian Sea by Monday evening.
Despite the blustery conditions, authorities are not expecting a repeat of Storm Harry, which left coastal communities on Malta’s south and east coasts decimated last week.
A Met Office spokesperson told Times of Malta last week that “we are not expecting, as of yet, anything close to Storm Harry that we have experienced these past days”.
Clouds gather over Valletta on Sunday. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.Windspeeds are expected to weaken on Tuesday, remaining between Force 4 and 6 throughout the rest of the week.
Warning for the construction industry
The Building and Construction Authority also issued an appeal for caution.
It urged those involved in construction to take the necessary precautions to safeguard the safety of their workers and the public.
They were told to remove material, equipment, scaffolding and temporary structures which could be blown away and ensure that cranes and other structures are secure.
The expected conditions are likely to cause consternation among communities hit by Storm Harry, which wrecked businesses and pedestrian infrastructure, flooded coastal areas and tore down trees.
The latest CPD statistics published earlier on Sunday reveal that emergency responders attended 240 tree obstructions, 119 debris clearance operations and 61 electrical hazards between 6am on Monday and 1pm on Wednesday.
Emergency responders assisted 27 people trapped in vehicles, 14 billboard incidents, eight HAZMAT spillages and six flooding incidents. Full statistics are available on the CPD Facebook page.